Picture making device



July 25, 1939. c. G. LlNS 2,167,518

PICTURE MAKING DEVICE Filed May 17, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 WITNESSES INVENTOR W Ca? Z G Elm-S 9 w BY w my I ATTORNEYS Patented July 25, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFlG-E 4 Claims.

This invention relates to picture making devices and particularly to devices for compositing pictures from separate component parts movable relative to each other.

It is an object of the invention to provide an improved device of the above character which may be used as a game or toy for amusement purposes or may be used commercially as a display or advertising device.

A further object is the provision of an improved picture making device for compositing pictures in which the operator may select any one of a number of different portrayals or representations of the component parts of the composite picture and the selected component parts may be assembled in proper relationship so as to produce the desired eifect.

Another object is to provide an improved device of the above character in which the component portions of the picture are mounted on strips movable relative to each other and in which the strips are supported on and controlled by mechanism of an improved'character so as to facilitateproper registration of the component parts and so as to provide for long-continued use of the device with comparative freedom from wear. 7 p

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a picture making device embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Figure l with the cover of the casing in open position so as to reveal the several strips on which the component parts of the picture are displayed and also the mechanism supporting the strips;

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view in the direction of the arrows on the line 3-3 of Figure 1; I

Fig. 4 is a sectional view in the direction of the arrows on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a plan View of a disk on which one of the component parts of the picture may be displayed, and

Fig. -6 is a View of a modified type of pulleythat may be employed in my device.

My improved picture making. device is pref,- erably provided with a casing which may take the form of a container or box l having a cover ll hingedly connected to the box along the upper end as viewed in Figs. 1 and 2 and provided with an opening [2 through which the composite pictures are displayed. If desired, a decorative motif such as indicated at l4, which serves as a frame to fix attention on the composite picture, may be provided on the cover.

Inside the casing I provide a plurality of strips of suitable material on which are displayed different representations of the various component parts of the picture, the strips being arranged and supported in such a manner that they may be externally controlled and shifted relative to each other so as to display various types of component pictures through the opening 12. It will be appreciated that various types of pictures such as caricature portrayals of the human figure or .10 of the human head, or representations of animalsor any other desired object or scene may be portrayed by means of, my picture making device. In the accompanying drawings I have illustrated an arrangement for displaying a caricature picture of the human head in profile and the relative sizes of the several strips shown in the accompanying drawings are particularly suited for this purpose.

In showing the human face in profile I have found that a great variety of composite pictures can be obtained by dividing the face into four profile parts, namely, the forehead,- the nose, the mouth'and the chin, and that it is preferable to superimpose the eye over the profile portrayal as by means of a rotatable diskupon which the eye is displayed, as will be more fully described. The specific structure by which I accomplish these results is shown in the accompanying drawings and, consists of four horizontal shafts 3 i5; I6, I1 and I8 extending transversely of the casing l0 and preferably protruding beyond the front thereof and having handles i9, 20, 2i and 22 secured thereto so that the-shafts may be conveniently rotated from the outside of the casing. Each of the shafts l5, l6, l7 and it have two pulleys mounted thereon, the pulleys on the shafts l5 and I6 being arranged in pairs and the pulleys on the shafts l! and I8 being likewise arranged in pairs,'and the strips on which the respective component parts of the picture are displayed are connected between the pairs of pulleys and may be shifted relative to each other by rotating the handles. Thus, mounted on the shaft l5 are pulleys 25 and 26. the pulley 25 being keyed to the shaft and pulley 26 being rotatable relative thereto. The shaft I6 is provided with pulleys 21 and 28 which are aligned with the pulleys 25 and 26, the pulley 21 being rotatable relative to shaft l6 and the pulley 28 being keyed thereto. Similarly, shaft I1 is provided with a pair of pulleys 29 and 30 positioned adjacent the outer edges of the pulleys 25 and 26, the pulley 30 being keyed to the shaft and the pulley 29 being rotatable with respect thereto. In align- 6B on the shaft I! are the pulleys 3| and 32, the pulley 3| being keyed to the shaft and the pulley 32 being rotatable with respect thereto.

Connected between each of the pairs of pulleys, that is, between the pulleys 25 and 21, 28 and 28, 29 and 3!, and 30 and 32 is an endless belt 33 preferably made of rubber or similar flexible, resilient material, the belt serving as a support and backing for the strips on which the component parts of the picture are displayed. Disposed around the belts 33 are the strips 34, 35, 3S and 31 in the form of endless belts and on which the component parts of the profile are displayed. Thus on the strip 3 various representations of the human chin are displayed. On the strip 35 various representations of the human mouth are displayed, on the strip 38 various representations of the human nose are shown, while the strip 31 contains various representations of the. human forehead. Each strip may contain, as shown, portrayals of various well known types of human features in exaggerated or accentuated form. It will be appreciated that by compositing the different featurm innumerable combinations and facial types may be obtained. The profiles are composited by shifting the several strips 34, 35, 36 and 31 relative to each other sothat the desired types of features are brought into alignment in a position to be' displayed through the opening l2 as is most clearly shown by the caricature portrayal displayed in Figs. land 2.

From the description of themechanism heretofore given the manner in which the strips are shifted so as to accomplish this result will be readily appreciated. Thus by turning handle 22, pulley 3! which is keyed to shaft l3 will likewise turn, causing the respective rubber belt and the strip 34 to shift .until the desired type of chin is displayed through the opening 12. Due to the fact that pulley 29 is rotatable with respect to'shaft H the manipulation of handle 22 A will not cause the shaft l1 or pulley 30 to rotate.

In a similar manner strip 35 on which the various representations of the human mouth are portrayed may be shifted by means of handle I9, strip 36 on which various types of noses are displayed may be shifted by means of handle 20, and strip 31 containing the representations of the human forehead may be shifted by handle 2|.

I have found that a greater variety of effects may be obtained by superimposing the eye over the top of the profile and this is preferably accomplished by providing a disk 38 having a plurality of rounded peripheral projections 39 formed thereon, the disk 38 preferably being mounted on a shaft 40 extending through the cover I l of the casing and provided with a handle M on the outside of the cover, by means ofwhich the disk may be rotated. The disk is of such a size and is so positioned that when the disk is rotated to the proper position the rounded projections 39 extend beneath the display opening l2 in superimposed position over the displayed profile.

On each of the projections 39 I form a portr'ayal of the human eye as seen in profile view. By rotating the handle 4| the desired type of eye may be brought into proper position with respect to the displayed profile. It will be seen that by mounting the representation of the eye upon a disk rather than upon a strip or endless belt greater variation in the relative position between the profile and the eye may be obtained. If desired, spacers or collars 41 may be secured to the shafts for positioning the pulleys.

ment with the pulleys 29 and 39 and mounted In Fig. 6 a modified type of pulley is shown at 42, the pulley being provided with a peripheral groove 43 which accommodates a rib 44 formed on rubber belt 45. A pulley similar in construction to pulley 42 may be employed in place of the pulleys 25 to 32, and a belt as shown at 45 may be used in place of the belts 33. The various display strips 34 to 31 will then be disposed around the belt 45 in the same manner as in the first form of my invention as shown at 46 in Fig. 6.

It should be understood of course, that modifl cations may be made in the illustrated and described embodiment of my invention. Thus, my invention has been illustrated as embodied in a device for forming composite caricatures of the human profile but it may also be employed to form composite pictures or caricatures of the entire human figure or of any desired animal, object or scene. The relative widths of the strips will be varied in accordance with the component parts displayed thereon. This will be appreciated from the accompanying drawings in which the strip 35 on which the representations of the human month are displayed is relatively narrow while the strip on which the representations of the forehead are displayed is relatively wide.

I claim:

1. A picture making device for forming composite pictures comprising a plurality of strips, means for shifting the strips relative to each other and a rotatable disk positioned in superimposed relationship with respect to the strips, each of the said strips and the disk having displayed thereon a plurality of representations of one of the, component parts of the picture, said strips and disk being positioned so that by shifting the strips and rotating the disk different representations of the component parts of the picture may be brought into alignment to form composite pictures.

2. A picture making device for forming composite pictures of the human profile comprising a plurality of strips disposed adjacent each other, and each having portrayed thereon a plurality of representations of one of the component parts of the profile, means for shifting the strips relative to each other so that the representations on the different strips may be brought into alignment with each other, and a rotatable disk positioned in superimposed relationship with respect to the strip and having displayed thereon adjacent the periphery a plurality of representations of the human eye which may be brought into proper alignment with the composite profile by rotating the disk.

3. A picture making device as specified in claim 2 in which the disk is provided with a plurality of spaced peripheral projections on,which the representations of the human eye are displayed.

4. A picture making device for forming composite pictures of the human profile comprising a casing formed with an opening, a plurality of rotatable shafts mounted in the casing, a plurality of pulleys mounted on the shafts and arranged in pairs, the pulleys in each pair being aligned and one pulley in each pair being keyed to its respective shaft, a plurality of endless belts disposed around the pairs of pulleys and extending beneath the opening in the casing, each of the belts having displayed thereon a plurality of representations of one of the component parts of the profile, means exposed on the outside of the casing for rotating the shafts so as to shift the belts relative to each other and cause the ship with regard to the belts and having displayed representations on the difierent strips to be thereon adjacent its periphery a plurality of repbrought into alignment with each other and to resent'ations of the human eyewhich may be be displayed through the opening in the casing, brought into proper alignment with the composite and a rotatable disk pivotally mounted in the profile by rotating the disk. casing and positioned in superimposed relation CARL G. LIENS. 5 

